The Mysterious Stranger, and Other Stories

by Mark Twain

Overview

American author Mark Twain attempted to write a book titled The Mysterious Stranger. He worked on it sporadically between 1897 and 1908. Each of the stories that Mark Twain authored features a paranormal figure known as "Satan" or "No. 44." The versions were all still unfinished (with the debatable exception of the last one, No. 44, the Mysterious Stranger). The Chronicle of Young Satan is around 55,000 words long, Schoolhouse Hill is 15,300 words long, and No. 44, the Mysterious Stranger is 65,000 words long. Mark Twain's Mysterious Stranger Manuscripts, edited by William M. Gibson, was first published in 1969 by the University of California Press as part of The Mark Twain Papers Series. It was later reissued in 2005. A popular edition of No. 44, The Mysterious Stranger, was also published by the University of California Press in 1982. The Phantom Stranger from DC Comics and the Mysterious Stranger share a lot of similarities. Both individuals have hazy backstories that leave room for the theory that they are exiled angels.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9789357275514
Publisher:	Double 9 Books
Publication date:	12/01/2022
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Sales rank:	230,860
File size:	545 KB

About the Author

Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 - April 21, 1910),[1] known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist, entrepreneur, publisher, and lecturer. He was lauded as the "greatest humorist this country has produced",[2] and William Faulkner called him "the father of American literature".[3] His novels include The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876) and its sequel, the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884),[4] the latter often called "The Great American Novel".
Twain was raised in Hannibal, Missouri, which later provided the setting for Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. He served an apprenticeship with a printer and then worked as a typesetter, contributing articles to the newspaper of his older brother Orion Clemens. He later became a riverboat pilot on the Mississippi River before heading west to join Orion in Nevada. He referred humorously to his lack of success at mining, turning to journalism for the Virginia City Territorial Enterprise.[5] His humorous story, "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County", was published in 1865, based on a story that he heard at Angels Hotel in Angels Camp, California, where he had spent some time as a miner. The short story brought international attention and was even translated into French.[6] His wit and satire, in prose and in speech, earned praise from critics and peers, and he was a friend to presidents, artists, industrialists, and European royalty.
Twain earned a great deal of money from his writings and lectures, but he invested in ventures that lost most of it-such as the Paige Compositor, a mechanical typesetter that failed because of its complexity and imprecision. He filed for bankruptcy in the wake of these financial setbacks, but he eventually overcame his financial troubles with the help of Henry Huttleston Rogers. He eventually paid all his creditors in full, even though his bankruptcy relieved him of having to do so. Twain was born shortly after an appearance of Halley's Comet, and he predicted that he would "go out with it" as well; he died the day after the comet returned.

Date of Birth:

November 30, 1835

Date of Death:

April 21, 1910

Place of Birth:

Florida, Missouri

Place of Death:

Redding, Connecticut

Table of Contents

The Mysterious Stranger, A Fable, Hunting The Deceitful Turkey The McWilliamses And The Burglar Alarm